Falling
by Winter's Realm
Summary: A mission takes a turn for the worst, leaving Jay and Nya separated from the rest of the team. Together, the pair must fight to find their way back home. But with criminals after them and … 'unresolved'... feelings between them, it's not going to be easy... A series of related, slightly AU, JayxNya oneshots.
1. Blue Eyes

**Falling.**

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**Chapter One:** Blue Eyes.

**A/N:** Hey! I'm back! Yes… another story… sorry, inspiration struck! There will be a different layout to this one. Instead of a 'proper' story like _OaS_, this fic is going to be made out of snapshots of Jay and Nya's attempt to get back home after a failed mission which separates them from the rest of the team. Call it a series of one-shots (probably each around 1000-2000 words) which all relate to and build on each other, if you like :-) This may be kinda AU, and due to character development and different settings, slightly OOC, and I don't know where it would be set in the actual TV show, but whatever. If you've got any questions at all, do PM me : )

I hope you enjoy anyway!

**Chapter Summary:** … If this wasn't embarrassing, then she didn't know what _was_. Heck, they hardly even _knew_ each other!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ninjago.

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Nya was sick of walking.

There was a blister on her left heel which was bleeding and, thanks to the river crossing they'd had to make several hours ago, probably infected with all sorts of gunk and bacteria. Her pants were completely soaked, she was freezing, and her black hair was now brown- entirely plastered with mud. The large cuts down her arms and legs weren't helping her mood, either. She wanted to curse whoever had brought cutting grass to Ninjago to the darkest hellhole she could find.

An insect had somehow made its way into her mouth, and she spat it out angrily. Forget about _finding_ dark hellholes. This bloody place would do just _fine_.

"Are you alright back there?" Further up the path- although how anyone could call this _mountain goat _track a _path_ was beyond her- Jay turned around, a large smile on his face.

The two of them had been travelling together for the past couple of days, and she was quickly getting fed up with his 'bumbling', carefree attitude. He'd been alright at first- she'd though his quirks were sort of cute- but it was quickly losing any appeal. It was like going on a car trip with a hyperactive two year old.

Except said 'two year old' was the only one who had any clue on how to get out of this. And there wasn't any car, either.

Or paved roads.

Or houses.

Or civilisation.

Or anything else which would've been _remotely_ helpful in this situation.

They were halfway around a mountain, trying to make it to the next village. It would've been much easier- not to mention, _faster_- to walk along the main road on the other side of the mountain, but Jay was concerned about being followed. Several days ago, the team had carried out their first official mission. It had gone _completely_ wrong. While they had managed to secure the objective- a small paper file- the opposition were still at large, and desperate to get it back. The file should have been in Wu's care at this point, but an explosion had separated Jay and Nya from the rest of the team. With no option other than to get away, they had taken off, planning to rendezvous with everyone else back at the monastery.

So now they were stuck in the middle of the bush, with no food or equipment. And, more scarily, no idea where their opponents were.

…_.Damn it._ She wouldn't have urged Kai to join Wu's 'ninja team' if she'd known this would happen. Glaring at Jay's joyful expression, Nya wiped the mud from her mouth and huffed in exasperation as she considered how she should reply_. No. I'm tired, thirsty, and the last time we ate was two days _a_go. Not to mention that compared to you, I'm completely unfit and my knee feels like it's about to give out- not to mention that we've been on the run for three days._ "Yes." She said shortly.

Jay paused, evidently unsure about how he should respond to the obvious sarcasm. "Well, we can stop for a breather if you want," he offered with an unsure smile. "I think we're though the worst of it,"

He'd been saying that since before the river crossing.

"Let's just get out of here," Nya sighed tiredly, stepping on a large stick which unfortunately rolled under her foot. Unbalanced, she tumbled face first into a thick mud puddle at Jay's feet.

She really hated this place. _Hated, detested, loathed, despised_…. Her vocabulary was certainly improving, if nothing else was.

Something in the mud grasped her wrist and she scrambled wildly for a second, until realising that it was only Jay's hand.

"Well, at least you can't get much muddier, right?" he asked, hauling her upright.

Nya was tempted to reply to his_ stupid_ cheerful tone with some of the worst words she knew, but there was mud in her mouth and over her closed eyes. And as hungry and tired as she was, Nya was mature enough to know that swearing and losing her temper wouldn't solve anything anyway. Keeping an angry internal dialogue was alright. But she couldn't go crazy at him. As annoying as he was, Jay hadn't asked to be in this position either.

Wiping a grimy hand around her eyes did nothing to clear her vision- the thick mud had practically gummed her eyelids shut. She spat out a mouthful of dirt, and tried again, succeeding in only scratching one eyelid.

"Hang on, Nya," Jay, somewhere on her left now, murmured. "I'll get it off,"

"It's fine. I can manage," she shot back stubbornly, wincing when she scratched her _other _eyelid. Gah! She was sick of being the helpless 'little girl' of the team. All the ninja could run, fight, plan…etc. But she couldn't do anything other than a few basic self-defence moves. Watching them train, she'd come to the conclusion that they'd probably only let her join the 'boys team' in the hopes that she could cook and clean. Be their nice little _servant_ while they saved the world.

The bitter thought made her clench her hand into fists.

_One day, I WILL show them…_

"I know you can," Jay moved in front of her. "But my way might be a little less painful," His tone was less cheerful and more honest now, and had it been anyone else, she would have wondered if he had an idea of what she was thinking.

But this was _Jay_.

The urge to snort was quickly dispelled when two fingers lightly brushed against the side of her face. Startled, she stepped backwards and would have fallen again if Jay hadn't hooked an arm around her shoulders.

"Whoa, hang on, Nya," he chuckled softly. There was the sound of a bottle being opened, and she could feel splashes of water on her face while Jay loosened the mud.

Several seconds of silence passed, and she tried not to think about the fact that he was washing her _face_.

Damndamn_damn_.

Could the day get any worse?

"Try it now," Jay urged, after wiping her face with what she guessed was the cuff of his sleeve.

She did as he asked, feeling surges of relief when her eyes opened. There was absolutely_ no_ way she was going to let _that_ happen again.

Several blinks cleared her sight completely, and she realised she was looking straight into a pair of baby blue eyes.

Jay's face was centimetres from hers.

Awk_ward_.

For a second, they both froze; startled rabbits caught in the headlights.

Right. It seemed as if they had just found new levels of awkwardness. A new 'high' in low, so to speak.

Fantastic.

_What_ a discovery.

And he was _still_ staring-

-Actually, so was she…

_DAMN. IT. TO. HEL-_

…If this wasn't embarrassing, then she didn't know what _was_. Heck, they hardly even _knew_ each other!

Jay was the first to react, jumping back with a guilty expression, the cuff of his sleeve covered in mud from her face. Nya was vaguely reminded of a child getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar. She would have laughed if the whole thing hadn't been so embarrassing.

"So… how's that?" he stuttered slightly.

To her surprise Nya found that her voice was just as shaky as his. "Uh… it's good. How much further… to the...next, ah, village?" If she had been tired before, she was wide awake now. Nothing like a little, awkward encounter with someone you barely knew to keep you going.

"No more than five kilometres. Are you okay if we keep moving?" he shuffled slightly up the path, fidgeting with the hem of his gi.

Was he kidding?_ After that, I could probably run the rest of the track_. Attempting to act like nothing had happened, Nya shrugged nonchalantly, careful to keep her voice level. "Sure."

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**Apologies for the OOCness! Nya does seem a bit of a girly girl, but her character is going to develop. This is set at the very start of the series, after all. She can't be a badass right away! Especially not when she's hungry and exhausted, and stuck on a tramp with someone she barely knows!**

**Got any queries, comments or constructive criticism? Drop me a line! Other than that, thanks for reading : )**


	2. Cherish

_Cherish._

**A/N:** So, these one-shots aren't in chronological order, but written as inspiration strikes. The timeline is on my profile! Thanks to everyone who has commented on this so far! I wasn't too sure how this story would be received, but your positive comments have been very encouraging. You rock!

I thought that after all that heavy _OaS _stuff, we needed a bit of cuteness. Coz I'm in the mood for fluff, and depressed Kai isn't fun. (By the way, _OaS_ isn't related to this story at all!)

**Summary:** This was the wrong time for her brother to become perceptive. She shrugged again. "It's…" _complicated_ "…hot in here. Can I have my radio, please?"

**Characters:** Nya and Kai.

**Disclaimer:** Ninjago does not belong to me!

**Set between (see my profile for the timeline, if ya want!):** _Fairy-Tale_ and _Reason_.

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"_Seriously_, Nya? How the heck do you work this thing?"

Sitting in the lounge of Wu's monastery, she looked up to see Kai fiddling with a small device, his expression a comedic mixture of confusion and disgust.

"Work what?" Intrigued at anything which could best her brother, she set down her mechanics magazine and took a closer look at the object in his hands.

"This piece of junk! Look, the power button doesn't work! And all the _other _buttons are in weird places!" The Master of Fire continued, shaking the object in desperation. "Gah! What exactly _is_ it?"

Recognising the device, Nya rolled her eyes and went back to her magazine. "That's my radio," she sighed, curling into the couch, wincing when her stiff muscles protested at the normally relaxed movement. It had been only two days since she and Jay had gotten back, and she hadn't quite recovered. The past few weeks had been… well, action packed, that was for sure. She'd nearly been killed several times, and if Jay hadn't been with her… Things may have not ended quite so well.

"This isn't a radio. Radios work! Like, you can actually communicate with people on them!"

She distinctively remembered leaving it on her bedside table, and sighed. Kai must have been in her room. Again.

He hadn't left her alone since she'd came back- and it had been slightly amusing to watch her usually laid back brother go into full-on 'protective big brother' mood. He hadn't done that since she was ten. But, as sweet as it was, the attention had quickly gotten annoying.

This time, she didn't bother to look up. "And that radio _didn't _really work, until Jay fixed it a little while ago,"

"Woah, woah, _woah_! _Jay_ fixed it?" Kai chuckled, incredulous. "Sis, let's get one thing straight. Jay doesn't fix things. This is the guy who nearly burnt the kitchen down after cleaning the oven! Do you want me to ask Sensei Wu to get you a new one before this one… I dunno… _explodes_?!"

She turned a page, still looking down. "Um, no,"

Kai looked at her in disbelief. "Nya, I don't want to sound like Cole, but this is a safety issue! You should get a new radio. Everyone needs to know how to work each other's radios in an emergency,"

… _And the protective big brother was off again._ He actually looked a lot like Cole when he did that- arms folded, eyes crinkling with a 'kindly' glare. She would laugh, but her bruised ribs probably wouldn't thank her if she did. She settled for an amused smile.

"I can't work this!" Kai exclaimed, glaring at it. "You need a new one!"

But she didn't _want _a new one. This one worked _just fine_ for her, and she wasn't parting with it.

(_Because, because-)_

She could say it was because she had been through so much with it, and it was reliable. She could say she liked the design.

Both were true.

But even more than that, it reminded her of the person who had fixed it for (_with_) her.

(But she couldn't say that to Kai)

Unbidden, the image of two blue eyes slipped through her mind, and she blinked. She felt like a child refusing to part with a soft toy.

"No,"

The stress placed on the word was enough to make Kai look closely at her. "What do you mean, _no_?"

The magazine's shiny pages slipped through her bandaged fingers as she stood. "I mean _no, I don't want another radio_,"

"Sis-" he began, but she quickly interrupted him.

"I know how to work it! Jay showed me how! I can show you,"

Now her brother looked helpless. "…Why is this so important to you?"

She shrugged, holding out a hand for the device. _As if I'd tell you…_"Please give it back,"

That got her a raised eyebrow. "'_Please_'? You never say please. What's so special about it?"

"Just give it to me!"

Clearly thrown with the direction their conversation had taken, Kai extended his arm towards her, and she reached out to receive it. But at the last second, just as it was tantalisingly close to her fingertips, he pulled back. "_Jay _fixed it?" he asked thoughtfully, ignoring her frown. "While you were on the run?"

_Hadn't he already asked that?_

She shrugged again, but this time the movement was slightly defensive, and her unease was mirrored in her tone. "Yeah…" Kai didn't usually ask questions twice, and she wondered why he had felt the need to do so now.

Especially when it… was related to a rather… delicate subject.

_Delicate like blue-_

_-No._

(That was _enough_ of that.)

She watched her brother unblinkingly, hoping her face didn't give anything away. It was almost as if Kai was… searching for something.

_Something._

_(Uh-oh…)_

And it appeared that he had _found _it.

Her brother slowly raised one eyebrow and began to smirk knowingly. "_Jay _fixed it…" Nya felt her cheeks redden at his suggestive tone. "_Jay, _huh?" he shook his head and chuckled. "I have to say… I thought that if you'd go for any of them…. it'd be Cole… But, _Jay_…"

"No." She said shortly.

"That's incredibly cute, sis," Kai's smirk became more shark-like. Toothy, smug, predatory. _Crap._ She was tempted to pull a runner, but the door was on the other side of the room. Besides, her legs would probably give out before she took five steps. "Your cheeks look red, Nya,"

Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she coughed. "Too much blusher," she replied shakily, grateful that her face hidden behind her hand.

"So you're wearing makeup now, huh? Any… _particular_…_reason_?"

"No. I'm not wearing makeup,"

"Then why are you blushing?"

This was the wrong time for her brother to become perceptive. She shrugged again. "It's…" _complicated_ "…hot in here. Can I have my radio, please?"

Kai, suddenly in a loose fighting stance, danced out of her reach. "Aww, are we _embarrassed_?" He snickered, waving the radio in the air.

She scowled at his quick movements. Yeah, it really _had_ been a bad idea to encourage her brother to become a ninja. "No."

Undeterred by her short tone, Kai flopped onto the opposite couch. "You know, I had been wondering about you two, actually. Jay has seemed more focused lately… as if he's found some sort of… purpose,"

She tried to look nonchalant. "The kidnapping gave him a scare,"

"Believe me, when I found out, it gave me a fright too," Kai's smirk dropped abruptly. "But I think it's more than that, Nya,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… not to sound crazy or anything… but I think you've given him a sense of belonging. He's got a reason to work hard now- be someone who can protect you- although with me and my sword around, that's hardly necessary." He stopped and chuckled. "But, seriously, though. He looks so much more relaxed, and he smiles a lot more. Have you noticed? You mean a lot to him."

_You mean a lot to him…_

She didn't know how to answer that, so remained silent. Kai, chuckling at her hesitant expression, ruffled her hair and handed over the radio. "You better show me how to work that later," grinning, he walked out of the room.

_Gods, she had such a nice brother. _

She stared down at the small device, softly running her fingers over the sleek outer case, picturing the wires inside.

(All connected; electrons flowing around the circuit like blood cells through veins.

Straight back to the heart.)

_("Now put the wire into this bit here… hey that's good, Nya! You really should get into mechanics!")_

She smiled softly.

(_"Obviously, we don't have the necessary wielding equipment, so we'll have to do without," his fingers brushed over hers, and they both jumped. But he didn't react as quickly or sharply as she did…)_

Could Kai be right?

_("This isn't exactly textbook- no one else's radio in the Monastery does this- but my frequency had been programmed to this button here, okay? Press it if you need me, alright, Nya?")_

She carefully placed the small treasure on the cushion next to her, and went back to reading.

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**Yeah, I'm pretty sure most of us have been in that situation before... not willing to admit anything about the person you like ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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